 |
|
|
|
|
independent@htc.net |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Weekend Wrap-Up - June 22, 2008
Levee Road
Truckers: 10,000 Tons Of Rock Hauled Into Modoc To Secure Levee Leak Trucks worked more than 24-hours straight this weekend to deliver 10,000 ton of rock to make repairs to a levee near Modoc. A gravity drain malfunction caused a hole to form in the levee and water was flowing to the inland side of the levee. Although there was no eminent danger of the levee failing, the Prairie du Rocher Levee District worked quickly to control the situation. The rock was used to build a gravel ring levee around the inside of the main levee to confine the leakage to the immediate area. The Levee District then dumped gravel into the Mississippi River to build a temporary access road to enable trucks to deliver larger rock into the hole. The Corps of Engineers said this will prevent further growth of the hole and should further reduce flows through the pipe. The Prairie du Rocher Levee is otherwise functioning as designed, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Area police officers were posted at the roads leading to the levees to keep sightseers at a safe distance.
Corps Of Engineers Praises Levee District For Weekend Repair Work In Modoc The failure of a drain pipe at a levee south of Modoc was quickly taken care of by the Prairie du Rocher Levee District. “The situation is under control and the levee failing was never an issue,” said Levee District Commissioner Rich Guebert. According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release, during an inspection of the levee on Saturday, Prairie du Rocher Levee District personnel discovered water flowing from a 6-foot gravity pipe and collecting on the dry side of the levee. When the Mississippi River is below flood stage, the pipe is opened to allow rain water to flow out of the inland side of the levee. The drain was closed when the Mississippi River approached flood stage this spring. A hole had formed on the river side of the levee next to the malfunctioning drain. “This type of development is not unheard of. There is no increased danger of failure in the levee,” according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Prairie du Rocher Levee District employees immediately took steps to halt the water flowing through the drain pipe by placing two concrete bridge pavement sections side-by-side on the inside end of the drain. “This reduced the flow considerably, enabling additional steps to be taken,” said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The next step was to build a gravel ring levee around the inside of the main levee to confine the leakage to the immediate area. Several area trucking companies were called in to haul 10,000 ton of rock from the quarry in Prairie du Rocher to the site of the leak. “We hauled all Saturday night and finished up this morning (Sunday) at 7 a.m.,” added Rich Kinzinger Jr., a driver with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation. The Levee District then dumped gravel into the Mississippi River to build a temporary access road to enable trucks to deliver larger rock into the hole. The Corps of Engineers said this will prevent further growth of the hole and should further reduce flows through the pipe. “We laud the Levee District for the swift and decisive actions they have taken to date,” said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Prairie du Rocher Levee, built in the early 1950s, provides 100-year level flood protection from the Mississippi River for a section of Randolph County. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reporting the Mississippi River is currently at 37.1 feet in St. Louis. The National Weather Service is projecting the Mississippi River levels to stabilize in the area for several days before gradually lowering. The Monroe County levee gave way in 1993 after the river hit 49 feet. Flood stage is 30 feet. “The Prairie du Rocher Levee is otherwise functioning as designed during the current regional flooding,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports.
Funds Raised
In Hecker For Odie Mathews Foundation
Music At
Metter Swings With Country Beat
Recent Obituary Victoria (Guebert) Schrader, 84, of Columbia, died June 21, 2008. She was born May 16, 1924, in Red Bud, the daughter of the late Victor and Ruth (Schuette) Guebert. She was married to Clifford Schrader in 1947. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Susan (Rick) Stemler of Columbia; brother, Richard (Twila) Guebert of Red Bud; and sister, Suzanne Fred of Salem; along with other relatives and friends. She was retired teacher from the Millstadt Consolidated School District. She was a member of the Monroe County Retired Teachers Association, Columbia Women’s Club, Friends of the Library and St. Paul Lutheran Church of Columbia. Visitation is Tuesday, June 24, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Lawlor Funeral Home. Funeral service is Wednesday, June 25, 11 a.m., at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Columbia, with Pastor Steven Theiss officiating. Mrs. Schrader will be buried at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Columbia. Memorials may be made to her church’s Lutheran Building Fund or Hand Bell Fund, or the Columbia Public Library.
|
 |
|
 |
|||||
 |
 |
|
Next
Paper:
